法苑珠林 1.18

1.18

According to the Madhyamāgama: In the past, there was a cakravartin who appeared in the world named Mūrdhata. He upheld the precepts of fasting and practiced dāna. To the poor in the kingdom, he gave out wealth to provide for them. Later, after a long time had passed, although there were poor people in the kingdom, he could not provide goods to relieve their lack. The people became increasingly impoverished; because of poverty, they then stole others' property. The owners watched, arrested, bound, and brought them before the kṣatriya King Mūrdhata, saying: 'Heavenly King, this person stole my property. May the Heavenly King punish him.' The king asked that person, saying: 'Did you truly steal?' He replied: 'I truly stole. Why? Because of poverty and distress. If I did not steal, I would have no way to support myself.' The king then gave out wealth and granted it to him, saying to the thief: 'You may return; do not do it again.' For this reason, people thought: 'We should also steal others' property.' Thereupon, they competed with one another in committing theft. This means that because of poverty and having no goods, they could not be relieved; therefore, people became increasingly impoverished, and theft flourished greatly. Therefore, the people's lifespans decreased and their physical appearance deteriorated: fathers lived for eighty thousand years, and sons lived for forty thousand years. When human lifespan was forty thousand years, someone again stole and was brought before the king. Having heard this, the king thought: 'If someone in my kingdom steals others' property, and I again give out wealth to provide for all of them, my treasury will be depleted and theft will flourish ever more. I had rather make an extremely sharp sword now: if there is someone in my kingdom who steals, I will arrest him, place him under a high pole, and cut off his head.' Having made this thought, he ordered it to be executed. Afterwards, the people imitated this sharp sword, using it to commit robbery: seizing the owner of the property, they severed his head. Because of poverty, theft flourished, and killing with weapons increased. Therefore, the people's lifespans decreased and their physical appearance deteriorated: fathers lived for forty thousand years, and sons lived for twenty thousand years. When human lifespan was twenty thousand years, the thieves thought: 'If the king knows the truth, he may bind and whip me, banish me and fine me, or impale me on a pole. Should I not speak falsely to deceive the king?' Having thought thus, he said to the king: 'I did not steal.' This means that because of poverty and having no goods, they could not be relieved; theft and killing increased, and then false speech and divisive speech followed. Therefore, their lifespans decreased and their physical appearance deteriorated: fathers lived for twenty thousand years, and sons lived for ten thousand years. When human lifespan was ten thousand years, jealousy and sexual misconduct increased. Therefore, their lifespans decreased and their physical appearance deteriorated: fathers lived for ten thousand years, and sons lived for five thousand years. When human lifespan was five thousand years, three dharmas increased: unlawful desire, wicked covetousness, and false dharmas. Therefore, fathers lived for five thousand years, and sons lived for two thousand five hundred years. When human lifespan was two thousand five hundred years, another three dharmas increased: divisive speech, harsh speech, and frivolous speech. Therefore, their lifespans decreased and their physical appearance deteriorated: fathers lived for two thousand five hundred years, and sons lived for one thousand years. When human lifespan was one thousand years, one dharma increased: that is, false views. Because one dharma increased, their lifespans decreased and their physical appearance deteriorated: fathers lived for one thousand years, and sons lived for five hundred years. When human lifespan was five hundred years, those people were not filial to their parents, could not respect śramaṇas and brahmans, did not practice compliant deeds, did not perform meritorious karma, and did not perceive the transgressions of future lives. Therefore, fathers lived for five hundred years, and sons lived for two hundred and fifty years, or two hundred years. Now, if someone has a long life, it may be a hundred years or not much more. The Buddha further addressed the bhikṣus: 'In the distant future, when the human lifespan is ten years, a girl five months after birth will already be married off. When the human lifespan is ten years, there will be a grain called barnyard grass that will be the foremost delicious food, just as now coarse grain is considered the finest meal. All ghee, oil, salt, honey, and sugarcane will completely vanish. Only those who practice the paths of the ten unwholesome actions will be respected by people; there will be no goodness at all. A mother toward her child will have an intensely harmful mind; a child toward the mother will also have an intensely harmful mind. Fathers, sons, brothers, sisters, and relatives, turned toward one another, will have murderous intent, just as a hunter seeing a deer has an intensely harmful mind. When the human lifespan is ten years, there will be the culmination of the seven-day calamity of weapons. If one grasps grass, it turns into a sword; if one grasps firewood, it also turns into a sword. With these weapons, they kill one another. After the seven days of the calamity of weapons have passed, it then stops. At that time, there will also be people who give rise to shame, modesty, revulsion, and distaste. During the seven-day calamity of weapons, these people enter the mountains and wilderness to hide in concealed places. When the seven days have passed, they emerge from the concealed places in the mountains and wilderness. Meeting one another again, they give rise to compassionate minds and cherish one another deeply, just as a loving mother with an only son, having been long parted from him, meets him coming from afar and cherishes him deeply; they then say: 'Good sirs, our meeting today allows us to attain peace. Because we gave rise to unwholesome thoughts, all our kinsmen have died. We should together practice good dharmas and abandon the karma of killing.' Having practiced good dharmas, their lifespans increase and their physical appearance improves: people with a lifespan of ten years give birth to children with a lifespan of twenty. People with a lifespan of twenty then think: 'If we seek goodness, our lifespan and appearance improve. We should increase our practice of goodness and together abandon taking what is not given.' Having practiced this good, their lifespans increase: people give birth to children with a lifespan of forty years. Furthermore, they abandon sexual misconduct; having practiced this good, their lifespan and appearance improve, and people give birth to children with a lifespan of eighty years. Furthermore, they abandon false speech; having practiced this good, their lifespan and appearance improve, and people give birth to children with a lifespan of one hundred and sixty years. Having attained one hundred and sixty years, they further abandon divisive speech; having practiced this good, their lifespan and appearance improve, and people give birth to children with a lifespan of three hundred and twenty years. Furthermore, they abandon harsh speech; having practiced this good, their lifespan and appearance improve, and people give birth to children with a lifespan of six hundred and forty years. Furthermore, they abandon frivolous speech; having practiced this good, their lifespan and appearance improve, and people give birth to children with a lifespan of two thousand five hundred years. Furthermore, they abandon covetousness and envy; having practiced this good, their lifespan and appearance improve, and people give birth to children with a lifespan of five thousand years. Furthermore, they abandon anger; having practiced this good, their lifespan and appearance improve, and people give birth to children with a lifespan of ten thousand years. Furthermore, they abandon false views; having practiced this good, their lifespan and appearance improve, and people give birth to children with a lifespan of twenty thousand years. Furthermore, they abandon unlawful desire, wicked covetousness, and the practice of false dharmas, [thinking:] 'We had better abandon these three evil, unwholesome dharmas.' Having practiced this good, their lifespan and appearance improve, and people give birth to children with a lifespan of forty thousand years. When the lifespan is forty thousand years, they are filial to parents, respect and revere śramaṇas and brahmans, practice compliant deeds, cultivate meritorious karma, and perceive the transgressions of future lives. Having practiced this good, people give birth to children with a lifespan of eighty thousand years. When the human lifespan is eighty thousand years, this continent of Jambudvīpa will be exceedingly abundant and joyful, with numerous inhabitants; villages and towns will be so close that a chicken could fly from one to the next. Women will marry only at the age of five hundred. There will be only seven illnesses: cold, heat, urination, defecation, sexual desire, hunger and thirst, and aging, with no other afflictions. At that time, there will be a king named Śaṅkha, who will be a cakravartin, clever and wise, possessing four kinds of armies to govern and rule the four continents, fully endowed with the seven treasures and a thousand sons, upright, valiant, fearless, and able to subdue others' hosts, ruling the great earth as far as the great sea, not by weapons, but by the command of Dharma, bringing them peace and happiness. (The rest regarding the prolongation and abbreviation through methods concerning illness and famine are all identical to the preceding.)